Apparatus for manufacturing cyanids.



PATENTED MAY 24, 1904.

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APPLIOATIOB FILED JAH. 181904.

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A J. A. KENUALL. APPARATUS PUR MANUFACTURING cYANIDs.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18. 1904. N0 MODEL;v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES ALFRED KENDALL, OF STREA'IHAM, LONDON, ENGLAND,

ASSIGNOR OF vONE-HALF TO JOSEPH WILSON SWAN, OF HOL- LAND PARK, LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING CYANIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 760,997, dated May 24, 1904.

Application led January 18, 1904. Serial No. 189,631. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES ALFRED KEN- DALL, manufacturing chemist, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 21 Shrubbery road, Streatham, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus to be Employed in the Manufacture or Promore readily and with greater eiiiciency than,

hitherto, the improvements being such as to cause' the substances used .and the products of their combination to proceed in their proper course, so that the process can be worked with greater regularity.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a central sectional side elevation of the receiving end of an apparatus of this invention'. Fig. 2 is a central sectional side elevation of the discharge end of such an apparatus. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views of the supports for the tube A.

A is the vessel, of nickel or cobalt, in which the reaction to form the cyanid is carried on, and B is the outer vessel or jacket, which may be of refractory clay, or nickel, cobalt, or fine iron, inclosed in a refractory covering O, the whole being set ina brickwork or other suitable setting D, inf/which the heating devices are situated.

E is a pot vfrom which when fused caustic alkali is used it can be run into the vessel A. The said pot E is supported by a ring-bracket e and heated by a ring of gas-burners e2 and provided with a rotatable valve e3, having in it a passage which by rotary movement of the valve opens,v closes, and controls a passage through the bottom of the pot E, leading into a nickel or cobalt tube f, passing along the space for hydrogen between the vessel A and the vessel or jacket B and autogenously soldered at f2 to an opening in the vessel A at a part which in working is exposed to a higl temperature.

f3 is a tube, of steel or other suitable material, to protect the outer part of the tube f. The object of autogenously soldering the tube to the opening in the vessel at a part subjected to high temperature is to enable the alkali to be delivered into the vessel so far in advance of the end opposite the outlet for cyanid that the resulting vapors of alkali are certain to be carried forward by the stream of nitrogen gas, thus overcoming a difficulty in apparatus of this kind as hitherto made due to the alkali being liable to creep back along the outside of the tube by which it was delivered into the retort, which caused trouble by accumulating and adhering in the end piece. In myy present arrangement the alkali does not creep back, as the hydrogen surroundingV the vessel so affects the nickel as to prevent the alkali adhering to it at high temperatures.

The stern of the valve e3 may be provided with a pointer ci, moving over a scale e5, to indicate the adjustment of the valve e3.

The pot E is made of nickel orother material which will not injuriously aifect or be affected by the fused caustic alkali contained in the said pot E, which pot and the tube are preferably connected by a union-joint, as

shown at e, to allow of the removal of the pot. G is a vessel for containing alkali carbonate when that is to be employed in the process, the said alkali carbonate being made into balls or other suitable forms which will fall through an orifice in the bottom of the said vessel G and pass at the required intervals of time through a double valve orother device g (op- The carbon to be used in the process may be supplied by a similar device, if desired, (except that a time-operateddischarge-valve is not so important as in the case of the alkaline carbonate,) or it may be otherwise introduced into the vessel A.

H is a rake by which material can be pushed along the floor of the vessel A, or. any waste material can be removed from the said vessel through the opening a and caused to fall into a receiver a2.

In apparatus of the kind to which this invention relates there has been used a continuation7 from the retort, consisting of an inclined tube the extremity of' which is outside the hydrogen-jacket. When making cyanid of potassium, (the cyanid most used in commerce,) the said inclined tube has been made of nickel; but I have found that the end of this tube soon becomes rotten and pervious to the melted cyanid fiowing down it, so that cyanid is lost and is liable to come into contact with and cause damage to the brickwork of the furnace. I overcome this objection as follows: At the forward end of the vessel A is a nickel or cobalt continuation a3, to which is fused a tube I, of steel or nickel-steel, the joint at c' being so placed that it is just within the jacket-space or so situated that in work it is exposed to a red heat and protected by the hydrogen in or passing from the jacketspace, the forward end of the jacket-space being closed (except an orifice for the exit of hydrogen) by an end piece of nickel or cobalt.l The said orifice may take the form of an annulus, as shown at b2, at which the escaping hydrogen burns. By this improved arrangement all the nickel or cobalt of the continuation can be kept red-hot and also be protected by hydrogen, so that the nickel or cobalt is prevented from becoming rotten. rlhe steel or nickel-steel tube attached is not liable to become rotten under the conditions which so damaged the nickel tube in the former arrangement, andthe said steel or nickel-steel tube allows the condensed cyanid to iiow clear of the brickwork of the furnace. l

The end of the inner vessel A may, if desired, be brought nearer to the end of the jacket B and have a contraction in it, as shown in dotted lines. To the outer end of the tube I may be screwed or otherwise secured a plate J, down which cyanid formed and passing off iiows and escapes at finto a receptacle placed beneath.

K is a box which can be brought up near to the plate J to prevent undue access of air, the said box K being provided with an opening for the escape of gas. The plate prevents any creeping backward of cyanid from the extremity along the outside of the steeltube. The said plate also constitutes, in conjunction with the box, a chamber which can be put together or taken apart very quickly. If the cyanid be allowed to pass in a heated condition from the end of the tube while theair has free. access to it, it is liable to burn and become partly oxidized into carbonate; but by bringing the box close up to the plate the burning of the cyanid is prevented. This arrangement of the plate and box is much more convenient to use than a receiving vessel, as in the arrangement hitherto used, as the plate lreceives a considerable amount of heat from the furnace and keeps the cyanid from solidifying in the extremity of the tube.

The end piece L may be covered outside with refractory clay or other protective material.

L is a tube of nickel or cobalt by which the hydrogen is admitted to the jacket space. The said tube L extends some distance into the jacket-space and besides being open at its end is provided with openings, as indicated at Z, at intervals, so that the hydrogen-is properly distributed in the jacket-space.

' I have shown supports (illustrated separately at the left-hand end of the figure) on which the vessel A rests, these supports consisting of corrugated strips of nickel or cobalt m, bound to the vessel A by wires m2, securely fastened to the said strip m. The strips m may be covered with a paste of magnesia and water to prevent adhesion of the jacket B at high temperatures'.

The front end piece A2 is preferably of nickel-iron alloy and fits tightlyin the end of the vessel A, the end plate being arranged so that it can be removed.

a is a filling of refractory material between the vessel A and jacket B.

p is the inlet-tube for nitrogen or its equivalent (such as ammoniacal gas) to be used in the process.

ai is a sight inspection-tube closed by glass or mica, through which the interior of the vessel A can bc seen.

Although in my claims I have used the expression nickeh I do not limit myself to that metal alone, as any material which is permeable to hydrogenand will not become carbureted will answer the purpose. For instance, cobalt may be used; but as at present commercially produced it is less satisfactory than nickel.

I claim as my inventionM 1. An apparatus for making cyanid the said apparatus consisting of an inner vessel of nickel, with a continuation both surrounded by a jacket, an external tube fused to the said continuation the joint being so situated as to be protected by hydrogen in, or passing from, the j acket-space, and means for applying heat, and also means for supplying hydrogen to the jacket-space, and means for supplying the agents which take part in the reaction, substantially as hereinbefore described.

2. An apparatus for making cyanids the said apparatus consisting of an inner vessel of nickel, and a continuation, both surrounded by a jacket, an external tube, fused to the IOO IIO

ISO

said continuation, the joint being so situated as to be protected by hydrogen in, or passing from, the jacketspace, and means for applying heat, and also means for supplying hydrogen to the jacket-space, and means for supplying the agents which take part in the reaction, and a plate Vsecured to the aforesaid external tube, and a box for protecting the outcoming cyanid.

3. An apparatus for making cyanids the said apparatus consisting of an inner Vessel of nickel, and a continuation, both surrounded by a jacket, an external tube, fused to the said continuation, the joint being so situated as to be protected by hydrogen in, or passing from, the jacket-space, and means for applying heat,

JAMES ALFRED KENDALL.

Witnesses: HENRY WILLIAM GoLDsAoK, ALFRED THOMAS FoRsTER. 

